Music & EntertainmentThe River Cities' Reader Online - Updated daily local media website and bi-weekly newspaper that covers the Arts, Business, Culture and Politics of the Quad Cities' area.http://www.rcreader.com/news-releases/music-a-entertainment/
Tue, 03 Mar 2015 18:52:43 +0000Joomla! 1.5 - Open Source Content Managementen-gbAugustana Symphonic Band to tour southern United Stateshttp://www.rcreader.com/news-releases/augustana-symphonic-band-to-tour-southern-united-states/
http://www.rcreader.com/news-releases/augustana-symphonic-band-to-tour-southern-united-states/ROCK ISLAND, IL (02/04/2015)(readMedia)-- The Augustana College Symphonic Band, will continue its annual tradition of a spring tour featuring performances in the southern United States beginning on February 20 in Kansas and continuing to Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee and Missouri. The band will return to perform a home concert at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 14, in Augustana's Centennial Hall (3703 7th Avenue). Admission for all concerts is free, and a freewill offering will be accepted.

The Augustana Symphonic Band is the college's oldest ensemble, established in 1874 as the Silver Cornet Band. Currently under the direction of Dr. James Lambrecht, the band is composed of more than 60 student musicians with academic majors across the liberal arts. As the college's premier touring band, the ensemble has toured in 32 states, as well as the United Kingdom, Italy, and most recently to Japan in 2014.

The tour program will be a diverse mix of musical genres, ranging from arrangements of traditional hymns, to a Japanese composition, to a symphonic adaptation of the blues.

Students sharing their talents in the ensemble are:

Ingrid Schneider of Davenport, IA (52806)

Andrew Bainter of Coal Valley, IL (61240)

Bailey Driscoll of Davenport, IA (52803)

Lizandra Gomez-Ramirez of Rock Island, (61201)

Sergio Tekeli of Bettendorf, (52722)

Erik Whitcomb of Rock Island, IL (61201)

Robert Holmquist of East Moline, Ill. (61244)

Benjamin McKay of Rock Island, IL (61201)

Biniam Anberber of Coal Valley, (61240)

Caitlin Thom of Bettendorf, IA (52722)

Founded in 1860, Augustana College is a selective four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences. The college is recognized for the innovative program Augie Choice, which provides each student up to $2,000 to pursue a high-impact learning experience such as study abroad, an internship or research with a professor. Current students and alumni include 155 Academic All-Americans, a Nobel laureate, 13 college presidents and other distinguished leaders. The college enrolls 2,500 students and is located along one of the world's most important waterways, the Mississippi River, in a community that reflects the diversity of the United States.

]]>rick@rcreader.com (Lauren Reed)Music & EntertainmentFri, 06 Feb 2015 20:41:46 +0000Recital performed by Augustana College studentshttp://www.rcreader.com/news-releases/recital-performed-by-augustana-college-students/
http://www.rcreader.com/news-releases/recital-performed-by-augustana-college-students/ROCK ISLAND, IL (02/04/2015)(readMedia)-- Augustana senior Elyzia Powers of Silvis, Ill. and junior Jamie Hochmuth of Medina, Min. performed in their student recital sharing their talents with the Augustana community. Hochmuth's selections included "Love in the Dictionary" and "The K'e" by Celius Dougherty. Powers performed Sondheim's "Agony" from Into the Woods. Additional pieces as well as duets were performed. The students were accompanied by Gail Baldwin and Sheila Doak.

Senior recitals at Augustana College are a requirement for those pursuing a major in music performance. Other students pursuing a major or minor in music related to composition, general music, or education are highly encouraged to perform in a recital to showcase their progress and musicality.

Founded in 1860, Augustana College is a selective four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences. The college is recognized for the innovative program Augie Choice, which provides each student up to $2,000 to pursue a high-impact learning experience such as study abroad, an internship or research with a professor. Current students and alumni include 155 Academic All-Americans, a Nobel laureate, 13 college presidents and other distinguished leaders. The college enrolls 2,500 students and is located along one of the world's most important waterways, the Mississippi River, in a community that reflects the diversity of the United States.

Thank you so much for following The Giving Tree Band. We are grateful for your love and support. We have an exciting year planned and want to share what's on the horizon for the band in the coming months.

Like A Freight Train

We are releasing our first live album and full length documentary-style concert film this spring both titled Like a Freight Train.

The film is by Raw Foot Productions and directed by Patrick Burke and features interviews with the band, behind the scenes jams, and brand new songs!

The album will include past favorites, new originals, and covers of songs by legendary artists Jackson Browne, The Who and The Grateful Dead.

Over the next few weeks we will be sharing more details including album art, track listing, and pre-order links on the homepage, Facebook, and Instagram.

Please watch the trailer for the Live Concert Film and share with friends!

Upcoming Shows

Our 2015 "Like A Freight Train" Spring Tour kicks off at SXSW Fest in March, and we'll be announcing the full tour schedule soon. You can find all the latest tour updates on Facebook or on our tour home]]>rick@rcreader.com (The Giving Tree Band)Music & EntertainmentTue, 03 Feb 2015 16:21:53 +0000Blues in the Schools Presents Semenya McCord Feb. 18-20http://www.rcreader.com/news-releases/blues-in-the-schools-presents-semenya-mccord-feb-18-20/
http://www.rcreader.com/news-releases/blues-in-the-schools-presents-semenya-mccord-feb-18-20/Vocalist/music educator/composer Semenya McCord will perform her show “Classic Blues Connection” in Quad-City schools February 18-20 as part of the Mississippi Valley Blues Society’s Blues in the Schools Artist-in-Residence program for Black History Month.

Semenya’s “Classic Blues Connection,” with pianist Frank Wilkins, highlights important roots of American popular music from 1900 to 1935, featuring Classic Blues women Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday. This is perfectly paired with Wilkins demonstrating early piano styles from boogie woogie to Scott Joplin’s ragtime and Duke Ellington’s jazz.​

Semenya McCord earned her degree in Music Education from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. Her popular musician father, the late Ken Henderson, was an early and significant influence on her desire to sing and touch people through music. At the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, she was turned on to the powerful traditions of gospel music with Horace C. Boyer and of jazz with master drummer Max Roach and reedman Archie Shepp.​

Semenya performed throughout New England for over 25 years, presenting programs and residencies featuring spirituals, blues, traditional and contemporary jazz for audiences of all ages through Young Audiences of Massachusetts, Inc., the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the New England Foundation for the Arts.​

Since 1982, she directed annual tributes to the life and "dream" of Martin Luther King, Jr., the music of Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington, and community events that celebrate cultural diversity through the arts.​ In 1988, she was awarded "Outstanding Jazz Vocalist" by the Boston Music Awards, and she received the Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Musical Excellence in 1990 from the city of Boston.

Semenya returned home to Galesburg, Illinois in 2003 to assist her mother; she earned her Master’s degree in Music at Northern Illinois University in 2006. Semenya currently teaches Jazz Voice at Knox College and teaches General Music and directs student choirs at Lombard Middle School. ​ She is an active member of Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity and the Music Educators National Conference.​

Pianist Frank Wilkins, a native of Milwaukee, moved to Boston in the early 1970s. Wilkins has become known as a “jazzmatician”—a consummate music director and pianist among national and international venues and with vocalists, a multimedia producer/director, music composer, arranger and experienced private instructor—with awards from The Artists' Foundation (Boston), Composition Fellowship (Berklee College of Music) and The Hank Jones Jazz Masters Award. ​

Playing virtually every major jazz and blues venue throughout New England, Wilkins has shared a stage with Angela Bofill, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kevin Eubanks, Tiger Okoshi, and Archie Shepp, to name a few. His career has included performances at the Newport Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, and North Sea Jazz Festival; and in West Africa , Italy, Holland, Switzerland, Germany, and Mexico.​

Semenya McCord’s residency is made possible by a major grant from the Riverboat Development Authority. Thanks also to sponsors the River Music Experience, KALA Radio, and The Lodge.

Composed in 1945, Olivier Messiaen's Harawi is a twelve-song cycle based around the themes of love and death (l'amour and la mort). Demanding the height of virtuosity from both performers, the cycle is representative of Messiaen's style during the 1940s. Standing alongside such works as the Quatuor pour la fin du temps, Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jésus, and Turangalîla Symphony, Harawi's lush, vibrant musical language is reminiscent of Debussy, Stravinsky, and Wagner, all the while remaining unique and unmistakably Messiaen. The cycle features Messiaen's own symbolist text in which he assembles a surreal mosaic of Andean mythology, cosmic mystery, birdsong, and onomatopoetic sounds.

The song cycle was genre of personal significance to Messiaen. Harawi was preceded by Poèmes pour Mi (1936) and Chants de terre et de ciel (1938), both of which were dedicated to Messiaen's first wife, Claire Delbos. Messiaen composed Harawi as Delbos's mental health deteriorated. Her illness required institutionalized care, and she died in a sanitarium in 1959. Scholars have often speculated that Messiaen's decision to write a song cycle based around the concepts of love and death as Delbos health declined is representative of his grief over the loss of his wife.

About the Musicians:

Brooklyn based pianist Karl Larson is a specialist in the music of our time, consistently presenting adventurous programs. Karl has premiered many solo piano and chamber pieces, including works by David Lang, David Rakowski, Ken Thomson, Robert Honstein, Chris Cerrone, and Ravi Kittappa. He is also well versed in the modern canon, having presented concerts featuring the music of Olivier Messiaen, Morton Feldman, Pierre Boulez, and György Ligeti. Recent performances of note include Morton Feldman’s Triadic Memories, John Cage’s HPSCHD, and Tristan Perich’s Dual Synthesis for harpsichord and one-bit electronics.

A sought after collaborator, Larson has worked with many notable musicians from around the country, including Tristan Perich, Mantra, Eve Beglarian, the Eco Ensemble, the Sleeping Giant Composer Collective, and the W4 Composer Collective. He has also collaborated with members of the Bang On a Can All-Stars, Ensemble Signal, Eighth Blackbird, the California E.A.R. Unit, Ensemble Dal Niente, and the Mivos Quartet. He has been featured on the Bang on a Can Marathon, the MATA Festival, WQXR’s Hammered!, the Vanguard Series, the Columbus-NYC New Music Exchange, the Contagious Sounds Series, the Frequency Series, Make Music New York, the Red Note New Music Festival, the Ball State New Music Festival, the Music in the Shape of a Pear Festival, and the Bowling Green State University New Music Festival.

Karl received a DMA in Contemporary Music and an MM in Piano Performance at Bowling Green State University, where he studied with Dr. Laura Melton. Larson completed his undergraduate degree at Luther College as a pupil of Dr. John Strauss. He is on faculty at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. Recordings and further information can be found at karllarsonpiano.com.

Finding joy in variety, Liz Pearse is a musician of many pursuits. After a childhood spent playing any instrument she could lay hands upon, Liz began exploring the endless possibilities of the voice. Hers is an instrument possessing an unusual range, color, and versatility, which has led to performances of music - medieval to modern - on opera, orchestra, chamber, and recital stages around the world.

Liz recently had the privilege of performing at the Lucerne Festival, singing Luciano Berio's massive Coro under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle. She has also performed at the soundSCAPE Festival in Italy, where in 2013 she shared the distinction of "Outstanding Performer" with her brother, conductor and percussionist John J. Pearse. Other chamber and solo engagements have included the Toronto Electroacoustic Symposium; (le) poisson rouge; Omaha Under the Radar; Kerrytown Concert House; Baldwin Wallace University; and Constellation Chicago. Her opera credits include Michigan Opera Theatre, Toledo Opera, and Opera in the Ozarks, in addition to many performances with Indiana University and Bowling Green State University Opera Theatre.

As a doctoral student of Contemporary Music at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, Liz researches the prevalence and incorporation of contemporary repertoire in the collegiate voice studio. Doctoral recitals included Messiaen's Harawi and an electroacoustic program, among a diverse range of art song and chamber programs. She also won both the Dr. Marjorie Conrad Art Song Competition and the BGSU Competitions in Music concerto competition while at BG, and her mentor at BGSU is Dr. Jane Schoonmaker Rodgers. Prior to her doctoral work, Liz studied with Patricia Stiles at Indiana University. Recordings and more information about Liz can be found at lizpearse.com.

The band, conducted by Maj. Bryan Miller of Naperville, Illinois, will perform for the 2015 Illinois Music Education Association conference opening night as part of its community outreach mission.

The ANG Band Program trains and deploys professional Airmen musicians to foster patriotism in audiences within the U.S. and in forward-deployed locations. The band cultivates American cultural and military musical heritage.

"Audiences can expect a world-class show with exciting and dynamic music," said Miller.

This program combines standard repertoire that many people will have heard before with exciting new pieces, all of them connected by their texts. The theme explores different kinds of journeys and the ways in which these journeys can change us. Familiar works include Vaughan Williams’ extraordinary Three Shakespeare Songs, Rautavaara’s darkly intense Suite de Lorca, and a Latin work by William Byrd. New works include Joby Talbot’s sweet and joyful Santiago.

Artistic Director Laura Lane says, “All of us in Nova Singers are thrilled with the music on this program. Every piece is completely different from every other piece. I think audience members will love hearing the traditional sounds of Vaughan Williams and Byrd. But I admit that I am most excited about Santiago, from ‘Path of Miracles’ by Joby Talbot. Twenty minutes long, it tells the story of a group of people on a pilgrimage that draws thousands of travelers each year down an ancient route in northern Spain, arriving in Santiago’s Cathedral. In English, with little bits of Latin interspersed, this gorgeous and dramatic piece has moments of sweet introspection and pure joy. The climax of the work, when we see Santiago for the first time and realize we’re going to make it, is incredibly moving. I think the experience of seeing Nova Singers perform this work live will be an unforgettable one for everyone who attends the concert.”

Nova Singers, a professional vocal ensemble under the direction of Dr. Laura Lane, hopes to share our musical soul with you. Nova Singers is known for the beauty and charm of our sound, and for the intimacy and playfulness of the concert experience for our audience members.

Tickets will be available at the door. Admission is $18 for adults and $15 for seniors. Students are admitted free of charge. For information about tickets, recordings, or other Nova Singers events, call 309-341-7038, or e-mail nova@knox.edu or like our Facebook page.

Journeys and Transformations is sponsored by Blick Art Materials and Galesburg Cottage Hospital. Nova Singers’ 2014-2015 season is partially funded by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.

This concert is supported with Quad City Arts Dollar$ funds, provided by Hubbell-Waterman Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, the Doris and Victor Day Foundation, and Deere and Company.]]>rick@rcreader.com (Nova Singers)Music & EntertainmentFri, 23 Jan 2015 16:39:13 +0000Jazz in July 2015 Concert Sites Announcedhttp://www.rcreader.com/news-releases/jazz-in-july-2015-concert-sites-announced/
http://www.rcreader.com/news-releases/jazz-in-july-2015-concert-sites-announced/

7/3 - La Placita at East Grand

7/4 - Urbandale 4th of July Celebration

7/9 - Terrace Hill

7/10 - Bondurant Trailhead

7/11 - Waveland Golf Course

7/12 - Sylvan Theater at Greenwood Park

7/16 - Wesley Acres

7/17 - Easter Lake

7/18 - Evelyn K. Davis Park

7/19 - Centennial Park, Waukee

7/23 - Woodlands Creek, Clive

7/24 - Copper Creek Lake Park

7/25 - 6th Avenue Corridor

7/26 - Johnston Commons

7/30 - City Park, Norwalk

7/31 - Beaverdale

8/1 - Finale Event, West Glen Town Center

The selected list combines past concert sites with many new ones, allowing jazz lovers to explore wonderful community venues. "People love to attend their own neighborhood concert, but also enjoy exploring other areas around the metro all while taking in our amazing local talent," said Dusty Rauschenberg, Metro Arts Alliance's Chair of the Board of Directors. "We are very pleased to partner with these terrific sites to bring great jazz "live" in their neighborhood."

A list of bands selected to perform at each site will be announced within the next few weeks. All Jazz in July concerts are free thanks to the generous support of its sponsors.

Metro Arts Alliance of Greater Des Moines is a nonprofit organization that advances creativity and strengthens our community by educating and enriching the development of children and adults through schools, organization, senior centers, and collaborating with other community partners. We create opportunities that provide lifelong access and engagement in the arts for all. Its signature programs are Metro Arts Jazz in July, Metro Arts Dining For the Arts, and Metro Arts Education.

Hundreds of musicians of all ages fill the stage as the Quad City Symphony Orchestra performs in the annual Side-by-Side concert with the Quad City Symphony Youth Ensembles. QCSYEs Concerto Competition Grand Prize winner, flutist Gabriella Nisly, will perform with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra led by Music Director and Conductor Mark Russell Smith.

"Stunningly brilliant" pianist Joel Fan returns for a star turn in two buoyant and melodic showpieces that will have you on your feet cheering.

In this performance of 20th century American music you can hear the open plains of the West in the Harris Symphony or the crowded bustle of the New York City in Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue; visualize the exuberant community of rural America in Copland's ever-popular Suite from "Rodeo" or the jazzy nightclubs in Gould's Interplay.

The 18th annual event will include preliminary competition from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and finals competition beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Among the competing schools will be Davenport Central, Bettendorf, Iowa City High and Cedar Rapids Prairie. Also included will be exhibition performances by North’s own choirs, Northside Establishment and Center Stage.